Clint Bowyer wins NASCAR Sprint Showdown

Clint Bowyer, a usual Chase for the Sprint Cup championship participant, had to earn a spot into the $1 million Sprint All-Star Race.

It wasn’t a surprise when he won Friday’s Sprint Showdown to earn an automatic transfer into the main event.

The upset Friday went to Josh Wise, the stunning winner of the fan vote. Powered by the online community at Reddit and fans who support him through the digital currency Dogecoin, Wise beat out favorite Danica Patrick to earn his first berth in the All-Star race.

“Man, that’s unreal. I can’t believe that,” Wise said. “I’m still trying to wrap my head around it. This is huge for me and my team.”

It’s also a big deal for NASCAR, which has seen a surge in popularity among the Millennial Generation because of Wise.

A movement began on Reddit early in the season behind a 16-year-old who was impressed by Wise’s effort with underfunded Phil Parsons Racing. The movement then switched to get him into the All-Star race.

Making it into tonight’s race ensures a $70,000 payday for Phil Parsons Racing, which wouldn’t have gotten into the All-Star race without the fan vote. Wise finished 18th in the 23-car field. It’s bonus money for a cash-strapped team.

Bowyer found himself in the Showdown because he failed to win a race last season.

NASCAR Trucks

Kyle Busch is becoming as close to a sure thing as you can get at Charlotte Motor Speedway when it comes to winning NASCAR Truck Series races. He continued his dominance, winning at the 1.5-mile track for the fourth time in the last five years. And it wasn’t even close.

“It would have been a great race if Kyle wasn’t here,” joked Brad Keselowki, who finished third behind Busch and points leader Matt Crafton.